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The Dragon Isles
The Dragon Isles lie nearly 500 miles due South of King's Port in Valusia. The Western tip of the Dragon Isles is a mere 30 miles from the trade route between King's Port and the Kossian port metropolis of Torkesh. It is no coincidence that the free city of Kel Avir has become one of the fastest growing, multicultural cities in all of Tarth. Geography The Dragon Isles are a chain of three large islands and a scattering a smaller islands. Despite its location within the tropical zone, the majority of flatland of the Eastern islands is over two miles above sea-level providing a much cooler climate than expected. In addition, the increased atmospheric pressure creates breathing problems for those unaccustomed to this environment. The snow-capped mountains located on all three major islands are the source for the numerous lakes and rivers that keep the forests green year-long. Society The people of the Dragon Isles, at first glance, are a highly diverse assortment of personalities, races, and cultures mixed from all over the Northern hemisphere of Tarth. In truth, the population of the Dragon Isles is segregated between those living in the free city of Kel Avir, and those living on the mainland. To travelers and most of the world, the free city folk and the only Dragon Islers to be encountered. The free city folk, the informal name given to those born in or still living in the city of Kel Avir, have no singular identity. Their culture is influenced as much by Kossian society as it is Valusian, with traces of non-human cultures mixed in as well. A few elves, dwarves, and halflings have chosen to make Kel Avir their home. If a person looked hard enough, one might find Khajiit from the lesser clans, Half-Orcs, or even Argonians. The one rule, above all others in the free city of Kel Avir, is that no man or woman is turned away. As for the mainlanders, they are an uncommon sight in the free city, and a true rarity outside of the Dragon Isles. Not everything is known about their culture, but it differs vastly from the open-mindedness of the free city folk. What has been previously known about their culture was gleaned from hearsay and second-hand observation by free city folk. According to them, the mainlanders follow an extremely strict and ordered set of guidelines that dictate their actions. One of their primary mandates is that contact with the free city folk must remain solely limited to the negotiation of trade. Beyond that, interaction is prohibited. That is not to say that no mainlander has ever disregarded these mandates. In fact, the greatest and most reliable source of information about mainland society comes from these defectors--known as such for choosing leave the mainland on their own accord and never allowed to return. Though reluctant to speak of their life as mainlanders, defectors whom have opened up say that pursuit of order and adherence to logic are the ultimate personal goals. As a whole, mainland society is heavily invested in the advancement of science and technology, both magical and mundane. To say that life as a mainlander is dull would be an understatement. The strict adherence to order creates highly regimented daily routines. In the event of unforeseeable circumstances, a mainlander's actions are expected to be meticulously calculated in the avoidance of error. To help expedite the resolution process, mainlanders frequently consult the Codex Essexius Vitalum--an extensive collection of books containing procedural advice for dealing with common situations. Mainlanders who display advanced understanding of the the sciences with firm adherence to both order and logic, quickly ascend through the eight social classes. The first social class encompasses children and the demented; essentially those with little ability for critical thinking. The second class is the laborer class where a person's productivity is based more on routine than on problem solving. The class structure continues in similar fashion all they way up to the ruling classes, the top of which is known as the Order of Eight. Government Much like the society of the Dragon Isles is separated between the free city folk and the mainlanders, so too is the island's government. While under the protection of the mainland, the representative democracy of the free city acts autonomously; totally absent of the mainland's influence. These representatives, known as the Assembly, are elected officials responsible for lawmaking and governance of the free city. Assembly members typically are elected from a wide pool of upstanding and outspoken citizens of Kel Avir. While this form of government is a radical departure from the authoritative rule of most other nations, results have been mixed. The emphasis of this ruling body has been to establish a society with greater personal freedoms, a noble goal indeed, but there has been no common basis for how to proceed. While no one wants to impose laws restricting rights, a government without law is nothing more than anarchy. And so, the lawmaking tendencies of the Assembly often become practices of trial-and-error with each new Assembly removing laws they disapprove of and pushing new laws to take their place. With half of the assembly up for re-election every year, finding a political common ground is a lesson in futility, creating exceptional turnover in Assembly members and thus establishing an ever shifting set of rules and ordinances. A common saying in Kel Avir is, "if you don't like the rules, come back in a year." The mainland government is broken down into regionally and nationally bodies of governance. The regional government is handled by the Lawmakers whom establish, control, and enforce law in the mainland cities. Due to the ordered nature of their society, there tends to be little difference in passed ordinances from city to city. The national governance is controlled by the Order of Eight. Quite literally, these are the eight most powerful people in all of the Dragon Isles. Unfortunately, little more is known than that. Their policies are rarely disclosed, but none question their authority and their power is absolute. Military The free city of Kel Avir has no military force to speak of beyond a cursory amount of citizen militia dedicated to keeping the street relatively safe. Instead, the free city relies on the naval might of the mainland's fleet for protections. Despite the Dragon Isles' small population, it has the most advanced ships in all of Tarth capable of taking on fleets two to three times its number. In addition to naval superiority, the Dragons Isles also have an impressive corp of battlemages at its disposal. Trained in a variety of tactical situations, these battlemages becomes the generals and admirals of the nation's combined military force during wartime. Economy Being a mere 30 miles from the well established Valusia-Kos trade route has made the free city of Kel Avir a bristling hub of activity. Although the Dragon Isles have very little exported commodities of its own, the revenue generated in royalties is significant. Of course, a fair amount of these royalties are believed to given back to the mainland in exchange for their military protection. The economy of the mainland is largely a mystery and may not even run on a currency based system. All reported trades with the free city have been direct exchanges of goods, usually in large quantities at a time. Demographics The free city of Kel Avir is easily the largest settlement on all of the Dragon Isles. In fact, no mainland city even comes close to rivaling this city's population. Despite open-mindedness of Kel Avir, the populace has naturally divided itself into ethnic wards. Of course, the human wards are the largest and also the most prone to crime. It is unknown if this is due to environmental conditions or ethnic aversion. Demographic information about the mainland is sketchy at best as foreigners are not allowed outside of the free city. It is believed that the mainland consists of 8 to 12 settlements, each one centered around the procurement and advancement of an individual and specialized science or technology. Culture The culture of Kel Avir is as diverse as it people. Human traditions and methodologies tend to dominate the cultural landscape, in large part due to their greater presence. However, the people of the free city pride themselves upon the rich tapestry of ideals and lifestyles woven together throughout this community. The mainlanders, on the other hand, only seem to pride themselves on their work. By all accounts, mainlandsers seem to have no culture beyond their strong adherence to order and logic. Their architecture is functional, but bland. Their clothing is plain and uniform with only subtle differences in shading designating class rank. They have no religion to speak of and their manner of speech is articulate but devoid of feeling. Reading and music seem to be the only leisurely activities mainlanders will engage in, and even then, the subject material and musical compositions only serve to scientific and mathematical comprehension. A light read for a mainlander might be a simple geometry lesson. A simple musical piece is filled with complex timings and rhythm changes but tends to sound lifeless and artificial.